Nutrition Nutrition is the process by which the human body utilizes food for the normal functioning of every organ and tissue. Food provides nutrients and numerous other bioactive compounds, many of which have been specifically linked to cellular and molecular events and activities that have been identified in the development and progression of cancer. This resource contributes to the core scientific mission that defines the primary goals of the Center's efforts and enables Cancer Center members to have access to state-of-the-art nutritional services. Components of the Nutrition Shared Resource are: Detailed dietary assessment and monitoring, including use of computer-assisted telephone-based 24-hour dietary recall methodology, food frequency questionnaires, and screeners and focused recalls that target selected food groups and nutrients of interest; nutrition-specialized biochemical laboratory assessment technologies, including quantitative measures of nutrients, bioactive food components, and relevant metabolites in biological samples; telephone-based dietary counseling, provided by trained and experienced counselors who use protocol-driven methods; and consultative services relevant to nutritional assessment and diet intervention methodologies. Cancer Center members are engaged in a wide range of research relevant to nutrition, including studies that address etiologic relationships between diet and cancer, modifications in diet as an effort to reduce the risk and progression of cancer, community-based interventions to promote healthy eating behavior, and laboratory and experimental responses to administering compounds that may affect nutritional status and related metabolic factors. Areas of current and future focus for the service are contributions to the improvement of dietary assessment methodologies, especially when aimed toward minority groups; contributions to improved food content and dietary supplement content databases; and the development and testing of newly proposed dietary biomarkers, especially those appropriate for measurement of status for bioactive food components.